Free Skiing for Furloughed Workers UPDATED

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24 January 2019

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SAM Magazine—Waitsfield, Vt., Jan. 25, 2019—Several resorts are now offering free skiing and snowboarding to furloughed federal workers during the government shutdown. SugarbushFurlough

Angel Fire, N.M., started offering free midweek skiing and snowboarding to affected federal workers on Jan. 12. It appears to be one of the first resorts to make such an offer, and many others have followed suit.

Mad River Glen (MRG), Vt., started offering free midweek skiing to furloughed government employees and their immediate families starting Jan. 22. The area decided to do so after a government employee called to ask if there were any discounts or deals in place for furloughed workers. There weren’t, but employees at the skier-owned mountain quickly realized that it was a great idea.

Referring to the shutdown, a press release from MRG said, “This really is a very sad state of affairs, and we want to show our support for these federal employees.”

MRG neighbor Sugarbush Resort said on Tuesday that it would offer a similar deal to furloughed workers and their immediate families. And on Monday, Snow King, Wyo., began offering a similar deal.

Crystal Mountain, Wash., began offering free midweek lift tickets or scenic gondola rides to furloughed workers on Jan. 17, and will continue to do so through Feb. 1, or when the government shutdown ends, whichever comes first.

Crystal Mountain COO Frank DeBerry said, "We realize that many federal employees are caught in the middle of the battle that's going on in D.C., and we'd like to invite them up to the mountains for a day of skiing or snowboarding as a show of gratitude for their service."

Furloughed government employees can also ski and ride for free midweek at Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore. And they can ski and ride for free on Tuesdays at Arizona Snowbowl.

To take advantage of the offers, federal workers must show a copy of their furlough notice letter and Federal ID. Most of the offers will expire once the shutdown comes to an end.